Hand-bag protector and supporter



I Oct. 15, 1929. w, J STANSBURY 1,731,547

HANDBAG PROTECTOR AND SUPPOR'IER Filed June 21, 192'! Patented Oct. 15, 1929 PATENT oFFicE \VILLIAM J'. STANSBURY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA HAND-BAG PROTECTOR AND SUPPORTER Application filed June 21,

It is well known that luggage such as salesmens sample cases, brief cases and other bags, particularly the flexible accordion pleated multi-compartment type, soon be- 5 come soiled, marred and worn through on the bottom. This is due to the fact that the bags of necessity must be set down upon floors and pavements in train sheds, hotels, automobiles and other places where they are often 10 shifted and slid about.

Bags of said specifically mentioned type are usually made, at their ends and bottom, of comparatively thin material which is made .into pleats in conformity with the inner par- 15 titions of the bag, thereby allowing for the expansive and contractive characteristics of the compartments or pockets common to this type of bag.

The pleats are either made of separate g strips of said material the edges of which are sewed together to produce outwardly projecting seams which are attached to orcoincident with the partitions forming the inner compartments or pockets, or the pleats are made integral in comparativelywide strips of said thin material and crimped or shirred to simulate the previously described outwar'dly projecting seams. In either of said constructions, previously to my present invention, the seams and shirred portions of the bottom of the bag directly contact with the floor or pavement when the bag is set,

down, and furthermore, the material of the pleats between the seams, when bent downward by the weight of the contents of the bag, due to its thin flexible characteristic, often contacts with floor and pavement and soon becomes worn and soiled.

Such bags usually have thin girdle straps which pass around the bag. These straps are adjustable so as to be capable of binding the bag when it is loaded or expandedto various extents. These straps in places where they pass under the bottom of the bag, become soiled and worn and when on a bag that is used extensively, they soon wear through at said places and the entire straps must be discarded.

One object of my invention is to provide means of novel, simple and durable con- 1927. Serial No. 200,431.

struction which will prevent wearing and soiling of the bottoms and girdle straps of the bags.

Another object is to so make my invention that it will resist undue strain on. the bag and thereby'support and prevent injury to the bag by the weight of its contents.

These objects and other advantageous ends which will be set forth hereinafter I attain inthe following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bag having my invention thereon, I

Figure 2 is an endv elevation of said bag showing a protective and supporting member of my invention illustrated in central longitudinal section, Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the same general character as shown in Figure 2 illustrating the bag filled to a less extent, and showing how said member flexes to adj ust itself to the contracted state of the bag, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing in detail one of said protective and supporting members in its association with a girdle strap.

Referring to the drawings 5 represents a bag of the accordion pleated expansive and contractive type having a front section 6 and a rear section 7. tended to provide the top cover 8 and the front-embracing flap 9. The front 6 and top-8 and back 7 have secured thereto, looped strap keepers 10, 11 and 12 respectively through which the girdle straps 13 are free to slide. Usuallythese comparatively thin girdle straps, as previously described, extend directly down from the keepers and under the accordion pleats 1d and seams 15 of the bottom of the bag.

As shown in the drawing, I provide pro- The rear section 7 is exu 'iii tective and supporting members 16. of flex ible, tough material preferably of greatvthiclniess compared to the girdle straps 13 These members or devices 16 may be made of strips of leatheror other suitable material. Each of the devices 16, adjacent each end, has slots 17 through which a girdle am le laced or threaded so that the girdle strap in passing through the slots 17 is compelled to assume an abrupt bend or angle as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. Furthermore, the portion 18 of the girdle strap between the slots 17 passes over the top surface of the device 16.

In attaching the devices 16 at spaced distances apart as shown in Figure 1, the free end 20 of each girdle strap 13 is'passed downward through its keeper l and then through the slots 17 of the device 16, then upward through its keeper 12, and through its keeper 11 on the top. In this manner the device 16 can be placed on the bottom of the bag and the buckles 21 can be spaced above the keepers 10. By inserting the free ends of the girdle straps through the buckles 21, the girdle straps can be drawn taut and in so doing the end portions 22 of the devices 16 will be bent upwardly against the front and rear of the bag and will firmly bind and support the bag adjacent its bottom.

Figure 3 shows how the end portions 22 will extend further up the front and keeper of the bag when'the bag is filled to a less extent than shown in Figure'Q. Thus it is possible for the devices 16 to adjust themselves in their assisting positions irrespective of the size of the bag.

It will be noted that when the devices 16 are in their operative positions that the portion 18 of the girdle straps 13 are fully protected against contact with the floor since they are positioned between the devices 16 and the bottom of the bag. This is clearly shown in Figures 2 and? It is thus obvious that when the dev1ces 16 are in position, that they protect the bottom of the bag and support it, and furthermore, they support the lower portion of the bag against expansion and they also fully protect the girdle straps against contact with the floor or pavement. At the same time,

they do not interfere with the adjustment of the girdle straps but on the contrary, they assist the girdle straps in holding the bag in a firmly bound condition.

Having thus described my invention what bottom of the and straps holding the strips to the bag and with the strips limiting the lateral extension of the multiple compartments. i

2. An accordion pleated multi-compartment bag, girdle straps passing under the bottom of the bag, strips extending directly under the girdle straps having upturned ends to limit the lateral bag extension apertured to pass straps transversely through the upturned ends and serving to contact with the floor and protect the girdle straps from wear, said devices also serving as supports for preventing wear on the bottom of the bag.

3. Devices for use in connection with a bag having girdle straps, said devices consisting of flexible strips extending transversely under the. bottom of the bag, said strips being of greater length than the width of the bottom of the bag and having slots in their end portions, said girdle straps being laced through said slots with portions of the girdle straps positioned between the strips and the bottom of the bag.

4. A thick protecting device for the bottom and side edges of a bag adapted to extend transversely across the entire bottom upwardly turned at the ends and having slots through the upwardly turned ends, in combination with a strap located inside ofthe protecting device across the bottom of the bag extending upwardly at the sides to the slots passing upwardly through the slots and extending upwardly from the outer edges of the slots to surround the bag. 7

5. A lateral collapsible bag, in combination with a protective strip across the bottom of the bag upwardly turned'at'the sides of the bag and a strap surrounding the'bag passing beneath it inside the strip and engaging the strip to hold it to the bag.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. I

WILLIAM J. STANSBURY. 

